Unctuous GOP Box Turtle Of The Day

by digby

There was a lot of dancing on the head of a pin today on the Sunday Bobble Head shows, but one Republican Piece ‘O Work stood out to me for sheer chutzpah: the Box Turtle himself, dripping with phony sanctimony and desperately trying to lay the groundwork for a claim of white house victimization at the hands of evil Chuck Shumer:

Cornyn: I don’t believe there was any evidence that indicates that any of these individuals were relieved of their responsibilities for political reasons…

Cornyn: The kinds of questions that Senator Leahy wants answered are legitimate questions. I want the answers to those questions too. But I think we have to be careful here. When the leader of the effort on the judiciary committee is the leader of the Democratic Senatorial campaign Committee, Chuck Shumer, I think it undermines the legitimacy of a legitimate inquiry. And I would just encourage all of the…

Here we have Karl Rove potentially orchestrating of the firing of US Attorneys who are failing to politicize their offices to his satisfaction and yet the big problem here is the appearance of impropriety because Chuck Shumer is speaking out on the issue?

You have to give them credit for chutzpah if nothing else.

Steph: Does that you believe the white house should have white house officials testify and should send up their documents?

Cornyn: Well I think that’s a call for a separate branch of government and you know that always evokes some concerns for the separation of powers. But I do support the demand that we have department of justice officials come forward and testify fully and completely. Let’s get the facts out. I think what’s caused this to become a firestorm is because facts have come drip drip drip. There’s been as Senator Leahy said, information given that proved not to be correct and then had come back and be corrected…

Steph: But if I understand Senator Leahy correctly, if the white house claims executive privilege, you’re still going to subpoena …

Leahy: I don’t know what this Mr Fielding’s talking about. I’ve never met him, I understand he’s a very nice man. And I’m not sure who he’s negotiating with on capitol hill. The power on putting on the agendas and putting on subpoenas is mine and that will be on Thursday of this week when they’ll be voted on. They’ll be one for Karl Rove and on for Harriet Miers and one for her deputy.

Steph: Will you vote for it?

Cornyn: George you know, it’s amazing to me. This is what I’m talking about when I say a legitimate investigation can be overreached, can overreach and the idea, I mean Democrats think Karl Rove is working behind every bush in Washington..

Steph: But there is evidence in this email that came out this week that said he was discussing it..

Leahy: There is the email, the fact is that this idea that this executive… in the last number of years 74 people from the white house have come up and testified. During the Clinton administration the Republicans had no problem having 47 come up. I think you may recall those days..

Steph: I was up there …

Leahy: And uh, as well as John Podesta and Bruce Lindsey the president’s counsel. I wouldn’t have done this if I’d gotten a straight story the first time. It changes every single time they give it. What I want …

Cornyn: George I’ll join Senator Leahy in getting to the facts and following the fact where they may lead. But when we cross this line into basically a political witchhunt, led by the chairman of the Democratic senatorial campaign committee,..

A witchhunt! This is nothing short of persecution by the evil political mastermind of the Democratic senatorial Campaign Committee, no less! Where will it all end?

Steph: But I’m confused…he’s the chairman, though (pointing at Leahy)

Cornyn: Senator Shumer has a conflict of interest. They’re raising money on the Democratic senatorial campaign web site over this issue. I think that undermines the legitimacy of what I agree is a valid inquiry into the facts.

Leahy: You know George, I’ve been on the Republican Senate campaign committee web site a lot of times and they’ve raised a lot of money on me — and you know it kept me down to 74% of the vote my last election. But the fact of the matter is, Chuch Shumer has asked very legitimate questions, but ultimately I’m the chairman of the committee, I intend to have these subpoenas and Chuck Shumer…

Steph: Will you join the effort to subpoena Karl Rove and other officials or not?

Cornyn: I think you know, we have issued subpoenas, and I agree with that, for the department of justice and let’s get the information from them. You know they want to cut to the chase and get Karl Rove there and have a political circus and I don’t think that helps.

If they didn’t want a political circus, maybe they shouldn’t have foisted Bozo the Clown on us as president.

Box Turtle’s line is extremely lame as was Karl Rove’s plaintive cry earlier this week that the Democrats are “playing politics.” The problem is that Rove has spent decades perfecting his image as a dark political sorcerer with supernatural powers. They can’t turn around now and claim that the Democrats are politicizing poor Karl Rove. It won’t work — it’s dissonant, bizarre, laughable. Karl Rove is, by definition, political no matter what he does. You can’t make him a victim.

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